Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea

North Korea: Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity was 1.78 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.78
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
130th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.99
in 1950
All-time low
1.78
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea, 1950–2023

012345195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

North Korea recorded 1.78 for children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea peaked at 4.99 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.78, in 2023.

That places North Korea 130th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 4.99 —
1951 2.6 -48.0%
1952 2.61 +0.5%
1953 3.08 +18.0%
1954 3.5 +13.4%
1955 3.67 +5.1%
1956 3.51 -4.5%
1957 4.28 +22.0%
1958 4.27 -0.2%
1959 3.56 -16.7%
1960 3.57 +0.3%
1961 3.26 -8.6%
1962 3.41 +4.6%
1963 3.63 +6.3%
1964 3.55 -2.2%
1965 3.56 +0.3%
1966 3.71 +4.3%
1967 4.05 +9.2%
1968 3.87 -4.4%
1969 3.86 -0.3%
1970 3.85 -0.3%
1971 3.74 -2.8%
1972 3.89 +4.0%
1973 3.35 -13.8%
1974 3.14 -6.3%
1975 3.05 -3.0%
1976 2.84 -6.9%
1977 2.77 -2.3%
1978 2.79 +0.8%
1979 2.85 +2.0%
1980 2.84 -0.3%
1981 2.92 +2.8%
1982 2.85 -2.3%
1983 2.78 -2.7%
1984 2.71 -2.5%
1985 2.65 -2.3%
1986 2.59 -2.0%
1987 2.53 -2.5%
1988 2.47 -2.4%
1989 2.41 -2.3%
1990 2.39 -1.0%
1991 2.35 -1.5%
1992 2.29 -2.7%
1993 2.22 -3.0%
1994 2.18 -1.6%
1995 2.15 -1.7%
1996 2.09 -2.5%
1997 2.03 -3.2%
1998 1.99 -1.8%
1999 1.97 -1.3%
2000 1.94 -1.3%
2001 1.94 -0.1%
2002 1.92 -1.1%
2003 1.91 -0.5%
2004 1.9 -0.5%
2005 1.87 -1.4%
2006 1.94 +3.4%
2007 1.94 +0.4%
2008 1.97 +1.4%
2009 1.91 -3.3%
2010 1.89 -0.8%
2011 1.88 -0.4%
2012 1.88 -0.1%
2013 1.88 -0.3%
2014 1.87 -0.2%
2015 1.86 -0.6%
2016 1.86 -0.4%
2017 1.85 -0.4%
2018 1.83 -0.8%
2019 1.82 -0.5%
2020 1.82 -0.2%
2021 1.81 -0.8%
2022 1.8 -0.5%
2023 1.78 -0.9%

North Korea compared with similar countries

  • North Korea's 1.78 is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19, 43% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • North Korea's 1.78 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13, 84% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1951 -48.0% 4.99 2.6

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3.61 2.6 4.99 10
1960s 3.65 3.26 4.05 10
1970s 3.23 2.77 3.89 10
1980s 2.67 2.41 2.92 10
1990s 2.17 1.97 2.39 10
2000s 1.92 1.87 1.97 10
2010s 1.86 1.82 1.89 10
2020s 1.8 1.78 1.82 4

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 127 Ecuador 1.82 compare
  2. 128 Georgia 1.81 compare
  3. 129 Montenegro 1.8 compare
  4. 131 El Salvador 1.77 compare
  5. 131 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.77 compare
  6. 133 Bulgaria 1.75 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea?
Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea was 1.78 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 4.99 in 1950.
What is the lowest children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.78 in 2023.
How does North Korea rank for children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity?
North Korea ranks 130th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/children-per-woman-fertility-rate-vs-level-of-prosperity/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Children per woman fertility rate vs level of prosperity
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed